Black Panther #1

It is always exciting to get a comic in my hands that I have been waiting to read for months. There has been a lot of buzz about this comic and the first issue lives up to it.
Black Panther #1 gives a strong start to this new run of the title. Wakanda is being ripped apart by internal strife while T’Challa struggles with politics and peace. I an onboard for this story arc.

The art is lovely. Brian Stelfreeze was a smart pick by Marvel to get Coates through writing his first comic.

Stelfreeze is all about the minimalist Black Panther costume. His design of Wakanda and the golden city is beautiful. The way he visually communicates highly advanced Wakandan tech is subtle and inspired by true African cultural elements and aesthetic. There are several panels that I wouldn’t mind having a print of.

Spider Women Alpha #1

I had high hopes for this issue that were dashed very quickly.This is the kickoff issue of a crossover between Spiderwoman, Spider Gwen, and Silk, all of which I enjoy.

The humor falls flat and the art is terrible. Del Rey tends to draw people that look like dead eyed fish. She goes with that art pencils style that can be really interesting when done well, but is a distracting turn off when it isn’t done well.

I’m disappointed. Not looking forwarding to this arc invading three comics I currently read.

I advise only picking this one up if you’re a cross over completest.

Rough Riders #1 (Aftershock Comics)

Adam Glass (writer), Patrick Olliffe (artist)

The nice folks at Austin Books and Comics were very insistent that I give Rough Riders a shot. They were right. They’re almost always right.

Rough Riders is an alternate history piece where Teddy Roosevelt is basically a steampunk Batman who recruits an American version of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to invade Cuba, using the downing of the USS Maine as a cover for dealing with some X-Files level weird stuff.

The dialogue is good, the art is fun, and the story is intriguing. I will definitely keep an eye out for #2.

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